The Kiss Collector

The Kiss Collector

Anna took the photography course as an elective at school, learning how to position the camera, hold it level - which honestly is harder than you think - and of course the development. The developer, the acidic stop bath, and fixer were what she mumbled at me after a few weeks into our sophomore year. I was not so obsessed with capturing an image, preferring to keep them in memory as my own. But the idea of flashing a light at a page and it leaving its mark only to be brought and flushed out later was such a fascinating idea to me. Who cares what the image contained. Look at what remained of the light long after it left.

She flew through film as only unrestrained talent without discipline can do. Pictures of fuzzy and unclear birds, statues against the sun; tilted, and not at all centered, and the leaves turning their bright and ruddy reds into a Monet like blur which I have to admit looked pretty cool. Pictures of me started entering her portfolio. The awkward high school girl not yet comfortable in her own skin is the image I saw in those.

For her, walking to the rivers and capturing the reflections on the water became ritual. The old Belle of Cincinnati, the paddle boat that brought out nostalgia for river travel was the first of many shots. On the second floor balcony she caught a couple with her new zoom lens. They were confident no one was watching but as she leaned in and he bent down, Anna quick-shot the process documenting the incremental movement towards each other as a strobe light fastens images in this club of only two.

“Look, they’re in love.” she said to me in the dark room. Since I went with her to the river to try out her new zoom lens, it only made sense to see the outcome in the dark room. Each succession of the series brought out the emotion of each face.

“The series is great.” I said. “As each photo goes from intention and vulnerability to comfort to acceptance to resolution. That’s a good series.”

“You forgot happiness.” Anna said in the dark looking at me through her brown framed glasses. “In each shot they are enjoying each other’s company.”

“Yes,” I said. “You can see that too. But look at the shadows move on their faces as the sun’s angle turns. The color change on their skin as they turn towards the orange-yellow shine off the lights from the balcony.”

She chuckled. “I’m glad you like the photos.”

“It’s cool how the light moves.”

It was today that she took me to the Brent Spence Bridge thinking we would get the shots of sunlight on the water. It started off grand and bright as we jumped into her car, two high school girls on this mini getaway. But she frowned at the rusted bridge and muddy looking river so we crossed over it ending up in Devou park hoping to get some decent nature shots before the winter took all the color.

The leaves were mostly off the trees in the park at this point and the reds had turned to their decomposing hues. The white and gray band shell we ended up by only highlighted the monotony of tone on our day. The sky which started with a solid amount of blue turned an overcast blanket making contrasting light hard to come by.

“I don’t think we’re going to get any shots today.” I said.

Anna looked up to the sky and then to a couple walking towards the parabola.

“Random,” I said. “That two people would be here.”

Anna smirked, looked at me and shook her head. We followed them with our eyes as they came down the hill toward us - but more likely the bandshell.

“You guys looking to book a wedding here too?” the man asked, chuckling.

Anna smiled. “No, not today.”

“We’re taking pictures but the weather is not helping.” I said.

“It is a gray day.” said the woman walking beside her fiancé but smiling without thought of the overcast sky. “Are you a professional or still in school?”

Anna blushed. “Still in school.” she said. I smiled at that too, confusing us for anything resembling professional.

“Well,” she said, then deliberately looking at her companion. “I’m Joy. This is my husband to be, Harbin. And we are your first assignment.”

“Wait, what?” Harbin said. “We are doing engagement photos.” she beamed at her luck. “That is if you’re up for it.”

We laughed and looked at the other. I shrugged.

“Sure.” Anna said. “That’s what we’ll do.” So I posed them while Anna took the shots.

“The white light reflecting from the bandshell should hit his face here.” I said and angled my hand like an airplane descending from the clouds.

“Yes.” Anna said. We all heard the click, wind and click of the camera.

“And, I’m sorry, Joy.” I put my hands over my mouth and nose as if breathing a quick prayer. “Joy, can you angle your head up five degrees. Stop. Perfect.”

“Oh I see what you’re doing.” Anna said.

“Right? I want her hair to be darker though.”

I took off my dark coat and held it up and stretched out as best I could to try to shield the light from just her hair.

“No.” Anna said. “Grab a stick.”

“You sure you’re not professional?” Joy chuckled.

“You two are really into getting the correct picture.” Harbin joined amused and somewhat impressed at the effort we were putting towards this.

Anna smiled and nodded.

I put two medium-medium long sticks in the shoulders of my coat, then held it up and out above the couple.

“That’s good.” Anna clicked and wound and clicked. “Yes, that’s good. Harbin, bend your face down and lay one on her. Big kiss coming.”

"Nice." Anna continued. "Now, Harbin, smile like you love her."

"I do." he said looking at her and his face exploded in happiness.

We shot a couple more; a few on the bandshell which had the coolest shading from the top, moving in as the soft light from the clouds diffused into the half sphere. I brushed my hand against the open air following the inner curve tracing the path of the light and shade. Just eight minutes later, I noticed how the light changed against that same spot as the sun rotated away from us. One of the shots up on the shell, Harbin dipped her. If Anna caught it right, the light would be on them and the shading gradually fading up and out above them. I hope that one turns out.

“Please,” Joy said after we were done. “This is my number. Call me when you develop these. Even if you think they are bad, we would like to see them.”

“Thank you.” Anna said, taking Harbin’s business card with Joy’s hand written number on the back. “I’ll be sure to call. This was fun.”

“It was fun for us too.” Harbin said and they turned away to go.

We were ecstatic driving back to my parents house and talked about the shots we hoped would meet our expectations and those that we thought would fall short. We talked through dinner, of course Anna stayed over for it after my mom made us call her parents to ask if it was alright. It grew late, the day completely faded into darkness and Anna and I sat on the top step of the front porch before she walked to her car.

“This was a good day.” Anna said.

“Agreed.” I said and smiled.

She inched closer to me on the stairs and put her arm back almost behind me but still leaning her weight on it. I turned my head and looked at her with a raised eyebrow not understanding the proximity. She closed her eyes and leaned in, then put her lips to mine. This was fluid and connected, a link of incremental movements, images and feelings. I tensed, surprised by all of them at once. Her face was very close to mine, and I saw her eyes through her lenses. She opened her eyes and pulled back. I must have been wide-eyed and she looked at me unsure of how I took that, because honestly I didn’t know what was happening.

After a moment of sitting in silence she said: “I’ll see you at school then?”

“Yes.” I said, still stunned. “At school.”

She walked down the stairs. The porch light from overhead only lit where I stood and as she descended the stairs the light faded. I just realized I was standing. She turned and awkwardly waved, then turned back to continue to her car. By the time she reached it, she almost faded into darkness as if the light had faded and the day matured into another.